Office Depot puts focus on 'business' in new year

Office Depot is taking care of business in the new year with an advertising campaign that launched Jan. 3.

The multimedia effort from BBDO New York features TV spots with the chorus of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's '70s hit, "Takin' Care of Business," playing in the background. The campaign also includes radio, print, online and search marketing ads.

The campaign highlights the company's renewed commitment to business customers, who make up 80% of Office Depot's customer base. "We've refocused our efforts onto the business customer," said Chuck Rubin, exec VP-chief merchandising and marketing officer at Office Depot. That refocus came after exhaustive brand research conducted last year.

"We see [the tagline] as not a marketing slogan but a foundation that the company is building all of our efforts around," Rubin said.

In another brand-building move, Office Depot has entered a sponsorship deal to be the official office products partner of NASCAR.

The company also announced the promotion of Monica Luechtefeld to exec VP-strategy and development, a newly created position, from exec VP-global e-commerce.

"We're clearly an organization that is in a good financial position and has the capital to pursue many initiatives," Luechtefeld said. "The challenge will be staying focused. [We need to] be able to focus on the ones that can generate the greatest return."